e7f2-fa9c-5637-803e-393115e47426">
She’s all he ever wanted
Wedding consultant Renee Hart is finally ready to take the plunge...as creator of an innovative bridal magazine. Her own dreams of happily-ever-after were shattered when Carter Hampshire broke off their relationship without warning. Newly relocated to the Big Apple, Renee discovers that her former lover—more charismatic than ever—is now also her greatest rival.
Carter came home to New York to oversee his family’s publishing empire. Finding out the woman who got away is working for the competition—in his own building, no less—doesn’t deter him from his new mission. Three years ago, he thought he was doing the right thing by letting her go. Now all he wants is a second chance. But when the media-frenzied launch of Designed for Brides leads to accusations of industrial espionage, could Carter lose Renee again—this time forever?
“Carter, I enjoyed dinner. Thank you for asking me.” She sounded like some high school student.
“I did, too.”
Renee made the mistake of looking up at him. She wanted to know if he was being sincere. His eyes connected with hers in the low light of the outside bulb. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t stop herself from watching his head come down toward her, and then his lips settled on hers. She pulled away almost immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
“We are. We’ve done this before, and we know it doesn’t work.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Should I refresh your memory?” Renee asked. “I can recite the words for you. You told me point-blank and to my face, ‘I don’t love you.’ Then you disappeared, and I didn’t hear from you again.”
Putting her hand on the doorknob, she stared at him. The indication was that he should leave. Carter stood his ground, and a staring war began between them.
Renee didn’t move when Carter finally took a step. She was ready to push the door open and go inside. Before she could twist the knob, his hands imprisoned her and his mouth seared hers once again.
I love wedding stories. I think I’ve said that before. In writing the Weddings by Diana series, I’ve been able to experience a wedding with each book. All He Needs is the last book in the series. I hope you enjoy it.
The idea for this story came directly out of the previous Weddings by Diana book, Someone Like You. The heroine from Someone Like You, Theresa Granville, designed wedding gowns. Creating a place to showcase those gowns was a natural extension. What better place than on the bride?
As you read this story, you’ll see how Renee Hart accomplished that feat.
As always, keep reading.
Shirley
All He Needs
Shirley Hailstock
SHIRLEY HAILSTOCK began her writing life as a lover of reading. She likes nothing better than to find a quiet corner where she can get lost in a book, explore new worlds and visit places she never expected to see. As an author, she can not only visit those places, but she can be the heroine of her own stories. The author of forty novels and novellas, Shirley has received numerous awards, including a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Romance Writers of America Emma Merritt Award and an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. Shirley’s books have appeared on several bestseller lists, including the Glamour and Essence Magazine lists and the Library Journal bestseller list. She is a past president of Romance Writers of America.
To my niece Tanesha for being there for me.
Contents
Renee Hart stepped out of the conference room. She was going to burst. Without a word, she rushed past the secretaries and headed outside. The glass entry doors were the air pressure variety, yet she slammed them both open. Sunlight and humidity hit her like a hot oven. Renee welcomed it as she would a dive into a tropical pool. She needed a place to conceal the echo that was roaring inside her. She walked fast toward her car, but she knew she wasn’t going to make it.
She got as far as the tree-lined divider that separated the upper parking lot from the lower one. Then she howled. She let the sound inside her go. All of it. Elation erupted like a volcano. Every emotion she’d ever had thundered and rolled with psychedelic pleasure. She was happy, so happy. Tears broke from her eyes and ran over her cheeks.
Renee hadn’t known when she’d accepted the bridal consultant position at Weddings by Diana that it would be the key to her heart’s desire.
Two weeks ago she’d presented her idea to the two partners, and after jumping every time one of them opened her door, they’d finally given her the go-ahead today.